National Consultant - Economist for Feasibility Study and Proposal Writing for Strengthening National Adaptive Capacity through Climate Resilient Rural Housing in Coastal Bangladesh, Dhaka

• Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
• Country: Bangladesh
• City: Dhaka
• Office: UNDP Dhaka

Closing date: Sunday, 28 June 2015

National Consultant - Economist for Feasibility Study and Proposal Writing for Strengthening National Adaptive Capacity through Climate Resilient Rural Housing in Coastal Bangladesh
Location : Dhaka, BANGLADESH
Application Deadline : 28-Jun-15
Type of Contract : Individual Contract
Post Level : National Consultant
Languages Required : English
Starting Date : (date when the selected candidate is expected to start)
01-Jul-2015
Duration of Initial Contract : 21 working days
Expected Duration of Assignment : 21 working days
Background
Building Resilience to disaster and climatic risk is one of the corporate priorities of UNDP. Over last four decades, UNDP Bangladesh has been working with the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) together with other development partners to implement GoB's priorities in climate change adaptation and mitigation. UNDP's support strategy to GoB involves both adaptation and mitigation with specific focus on readiness for accessing and utilizing effectively the available international climate finances.

UNDP Bangladesh is preparing to support the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) in developing project proposals for submission to the climate financing schemes in 2015 and 2016. Among the issues being considered as subject for a project proposal is Strengthening National Adaptive Capacity through Climate Resilient Rural Housing in Coastal Bangladesh.

UNDP UN Offices 18th Floor, IDB Bhaban Agargaon Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Dhaka 1207 Bangladesh

The Context of the Project
Coastal Bangladesh, which is inhabited by 35 million people - 20 % of Bangladesh's total population - is one of the most exposed regions of the world to storm surge and sea level rise. With a changing climate, people living in the coast are becoming more exposed to cyclones, tidal surges, salinity intrusion and persistent waterlogging (ibid). With most parts of coastal Bangladesh only just above sea level, whenever surge height exceeds 1 meter, there is a high risk of mass inundation leading to mortality, significant economic losses and displacement. Using the Bay of Bengal hydrodynamic model, the World Bank estimates that cyclone exposed areas in Bangladesh will increase by 26% and the affected population would grow as high as 122% by 2050.
The rural housing sector in Bangladesh regularly experiences significant losses due to climate-induced extreme events, particularly on the coast. Since 1970, roughly 300,000 houses were fully and half a million partially damaged by flood, cyclone, river erosion and tornados each year. Only one in every three homes in Bangladesh is made of concrete, with the remaining non-concrete 70% significantly more vulnerable to climate-induced disaster shocks. In rural Bangladesh, private housing is used not only as a domicile, but also for storage of livelihood and economic assets. As a result, damage to private housing accounts for the major portion of the economic loss associated with climate induced disasters in Bangladesh.
Even a conservative estimate of the five major disasters since 1998 puts the value of the damage cause by these events at roughly 15% of GDP. Half of this economic damage has been incurred in the housing sector. A conservative estimate gives the total value of the loss of housing stock as USD 800 million (GoB and World Bank)
In the 2007 category 4 cyclone Sidr alone, the number of heavily affected houses were 1,522,077, of which over 564,967 houses were totally destroyed and 957,110 houses were partially damaged. Two years after Sidr, assessment reveals, , only 5% of the destroyed housing had been rebuilt to a satisfactory standard,, indicating the huge response gap and poor peoples' inability to manage current and future risks. The poor and marginalized sections of the coastal communities can't afford to build back better and more climate-resilient because of their limited financial ability. Moreover, the fact that many people do not have ownership of their own land acts as a major disincentive for them to invest in housing.
The Concept of the Project
Therefore, the proposal is to build nation-wide capacity on climate resilient housing for the poor and vulnerable people in the coast of Bangladesh. It aims to fulfill the following objectives (to be tested and confirmed):

• To transform national housing programmes, policies and funding mechanisms to take into account climate change.
• To enhance the climate change adaptive capacities of around 1 million most vulnerable coastal people by introducing resilient housing concepts and technologies.
• To provide resilient housing for 20,000 most-vulnerable households, with a focus on female-headed households, in 400 selected villages in eight coastal districts.

The project will be primarily an adaptation project, although the housing constructed should provide for low carbon use features. The unique nature of the housing has to be climate resilient, low cost, low carbon, socially and culturally inclusive, build in safer and high lands, and expandable as habitat. The housing programme will also explore possibilities of engagement of private sectors with market and insurance instruments. This rural housing project has to be based on the lessons from previous rural housing schemes for vulnerable people. The project should have a strong paradigm shift potential in the overall public and private sector investment in rural housing towards a climate resilient, economically, environmentally and socially feasible and low carbon rural housing in Bangladesh. The project will be implemented in eight coastal districts.
Duties and Responsibilities
Objective
The economist will work in a high profile team which is put together to conduct a feasibility study and prepare a project proposal on climate resilient housing in Bangladesh for submission to a fund. His/her main role would be to make sure that study integrates all economic aspects in the Feasibility Study Report and the project proposal as per UNDP policies and procedures.
The consultants would deliver two outputs

• An economic appraisal report based on an agreed format with UNDP;
• High quality input to the consultant team for development of the feasibility study and Project Proposal that should be prepared as per the format provided by UNDP.

Scope of Work
A Seven (7) member team is envisaged to be recruited by UNDP. The Economist will work closely with the Team Leader and carry out an economic appraisal of the proposed intervention on the project locations. The following will be the key tasks of the expert:

• Determine the methodology of the economic appraisal in consultation with UNDP;
• Establish a baseline based on available secondary quantitative data and primary qualitative information;
• Predict and assess both positive and negative impacts/short and long term duration along with any potential cumulative impacts. Identify how the proposed intervention can take up opportunities for social enhancement of various groups;
• Conduct a market analysis of present and future market situation of rural housing including various drivers to understand implication of and opportunity for proposed project;
• Work closely with the team, especially the housing expert to determine an economic appraisal e.g. value for money, cost benefit among various alternatives for house construction;
• Conduct an overall cost benefit analysis of the project (e.g. cost of climate change impact vs return of proposed intervention) using internationally recognised methodology;
• Recommend mitigation measures for reducing the likely negative impact and to fulfil the requirements of UNDP's social safeguard standards.

The indicative tasks to carry out the economic appraisal

• Become familiar with:
  • Past and existing projects of GoB and UNDP focused on resilient housing, post-disaster shelter and housing construction, climate change and disaster risk reduction mainstreaming in policy, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and other areas;
  • The proposed project concept and underlying assumptions;
  • Perspectives of the main stakeholders in the proposed project;
• Review GoB's policy, rules and regulation related to rural housing and land;
• Assemble and review available studies, reports and data to establish baseline;
• Determine feasibility and crucial factors for the success and sustainability of the proposed project;
• Conduct site visit and consult with communities and local authorities;

The team of consultants will be contractually accountable to UNDP and the issues related to process and deliverables (outputs) also needs to be endorsed by UNDP.
Deliverables

• A final Economic Appraisal Report;
• A final Project Proposal (as a team);

Timeframe and Deadline
The assignment will be for a priod of total 21 working days from its commencement and shall be completed by 15 September 2015.
Documents
The Consultants will prepare and submit the documents mentioned above at the end of the assignment. The format for Program Document should be agreed at the beginning of the assignment and cleared by the task force. Further work, or revision of the documents, may be required if is considered that the report does not meet the TOR, there are errors of fact or the document is incomplete or not of an acceptable standard.
Supervision and Perfoemance Evaluation
The team will work closely with the Committee formed by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief and UNDP. The consultant/s will report directly to the Assistant Country Director, Climate Change, Environment and disaster Cluster.
Inputs
UNDP will provide office space and transport for the consultant as required and also arrange meetings, consultations, and interviews and ensure access to key officials as mentioned in proposed methodology. DSA will be provided for travelling outside Dhaka (if required) as per rules of UNDP
Payment to the consultant
The Consultant will be paid as per the following payment schedule based on the certification of the contract adsministrator

• 1st payment (20% of the Total Contract Amount) - Upon submission of workplan, methodology and approach;
• 2nd payment (10% of the Total Contract Amount) - Upon submission of the Revised pre-Feasibility Study report;
• 3rd payment (40% of the Total Contract Amount) - Upon submission of A final economic appraisal Study Report;
• Final Payment (30% of the Total Contract Amount) - Upon submission of the final Project Proposal and successful completion of the assignment.

Competencies
Functional Competencies
Professionalism

• Flexibility to make ad-hoc changes as and when the need arises;
• Ability to perform under stress;
• Willingness to keep flexible working hours;
• Ability to engage with high ranking Government Officials and provide policy advisory support services;
• Good understanding of disaster management in South Asia / Bangladesh, including field experience;
• Full conceptual and practical understanding of activities, legal framework of the government.

Teamwork

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations as a team member, in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect.

Communication

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
• Excellent writing skills in the compilation of high level quality documents in English language.

Corporate Competencies

• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.

Required Skills and Experience
Education

• Master's degree in economics or most relevant field.

Experience & Knowledge

• At least 10 years' of working experience in economic appraisal, cost benefit analysis or economic evaluation of development programme;
• Strong project development and proposal writing skills of national scale programme;
• Substantial experience in development policy analysis involving using quantitative and qualitative methods;
• Working experience in government ministries/ departments and UN / international organizations;
• To level knowledge on global good practices in resilient technologies especially in rural housing in developing countries;
• Demonstrated experience in undertaking similar feasibility studies in the region/Bangladesh;
• Good understanding of climate financing scheme guidelines.

Language

• Excellent English writing and editing skills;

EVALUATION OF THE CANDIDATES
Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology: Cumulative analysis: The candidates will be evaluated through Cumulative Analysis method. When using the weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% marks i.e. 49 marks in the Technical evaluation would be considered for Financial evaluation.
Technical Evaluation Criteria (Total 70 marks)

• Past experience in conducting economic appraisal or cost benefit analysis or economic evaluation of development programme in the developing countries/Bangladesh - 40 marks;
• Past work in Climate change adaptation in South Asian/developing countries - 20 marks;
• Understanding of various housing approaches in climate change context - 5 marks;
• Project development experience for UN agencies/ international organization / donor funded projects - 5 marks.

Financial Evaluation (Total 30 marks)
Financial proposals from all technically qualified candidates will be scored out 30 marks based on the formula provided below. The maximum marks (30) will be assigned to the lowest financial proposal.
All other proposals will receive points according to the following formula:

• p y (�/z)

Where:

• p points for the financial proposal being evaluated;
• y maximum number of points for the financial proposal;
• � price of the lowest priced proposal;
• z price of the proposal being evaluated.

Important note for Applicants
Interested applicants are requested to submit their financial proposal along with the application. Please note that, application in this system allows to attach only one document. Interested candidates are requested to prepare their CV's and Financial Prioposal as one document and upload that single document (CV + Financial Proposal) while applying.
The template for Financial Proposal can be found in the below link: http://www.bd.undp.org/content/dam/bangladesh/docs/Jobs/Interest%20and%20Submission%20of%20Financial%20Proposal-Template%20for%20Confirmation.docx
Travel
All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources. In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.